Fantasy Sports: Miguel Cabrera still Mr. Cool at hot corner

Saturday

Mar 8, 2014 at 11:32 PMMar 9, 2014 at 12:26 AM

Josh Bousquet Fantasy Sports

They say there is no accounting for taste, and they are apparently right. I mean, Taylor Swift sells out stadiums while Arctic Monkeys play theaters. The secret that allows one to crash into the popular consciousness is undefinable.

The Tigers' Miguel Cabrera should be the most famous player in baseball. He won a Triple Crown in 2012 (.330 batting average, 44 homers, 139 RBIs) and then another batting title last season. He upped his average to .348 in doing so, which allows one to argue that he actually improved upon his historic season since he hit another 44 homers and only dropped to 137 RBIs in 2013.

Yet Cabrera seems to have not penetrated the public mind completely. Of MLB's top-selling jerseys of 2013 (a list that somehow was compiled in July of that year), Cabrera ranked 12th. That doesn't seem bad by itself, but that is five spots behind Derek Jeter, who hardly played last year and had given people quite a few years to purchase one of his shirts already.

And Yadier Molina sits at No. 3? I suppose that could happen if each of his brothers bought just one jersey. Cabrera even looks cuddly, though, so why are people not embracing him more?

I am clearly out of touch with the general populace, but at least in the fantasy world hyping Cabrera's supreme position — among all players, even, with apologies to Mike Trout and his No. 9-selling jersey — still allows me a home in this realm.

To beat this apparel analogy like a dead horse into the ground, Cabrera isn't even the most popular third baseman. The Mets' David Wright rode his New York address to a No. 4 position, even though his .307 average, 18 homers and 58 RBIs do not approach Cabrera levels. Maybe it's those 17 steals that make him look so sexy.

Even with those numbers, I have Wright ranked No. 3 among those who man the hot corner. This helps to highlight both the greatness of Cabrera and the lack of depth at the position.

I think there are only six players who qualify as sure things when it comes to third basemen. That may be stretching the definition of sure thing, too, for I don't think too many owners are looking forward to their drafts because it gives them a chance at Ryan Zimmerman.

Zimmerman's .275 batting average, 26 homers, 79 homers, 84 runs and 6 steals, though, look like a bevy of riches compared with some of the numbers you get as you go down the list. At least a player like Zimmerman gives you a little bit of everything.

For below him, there are players like Baltimore's Manny Machado, who could give you a little bit of everything, but the 21-year-old needs to improve his line of .283-14-71-88-6 a little bit to join the sure things. His youth says that he is bound to make that jump, but who knows if it will be this year?

And who knows if it will be a breakout year for Kyle Seager in Seattle? The 26-year-old posted a .260-22-69-79-9 season last year. Seeing as he has batted .258, .259 and .260 during his three seasons in the majors, we know about where that number will always be. The additions of Robinson Cano and Corey Hart to the Mariners' lineup, though, could help some of his counting numbers.

The Pirates' Pedro Alvarez had 36 homers to trail only Cabrera at the position, but he also forces you to deal with a .233 batting average.

Starters in Cincinnati (Todd Frazier, .234), Kansas City (Mike Moustakas, .233) and Milwaukee (Mark Reynolds, .220) would also come with batting average blows.

That might start to make Atlanta's Chris Johnson and his .321 batting average look pretty good. ESPN.com warns against this, though, saying that his .394 batting average on balls in play is the sixth-best since the turn of the century. I guess that is a compelling reason to expect regression toward his .289 career average. But it also offers some hope. He did it once, so maybe he could do it again.

Right?

This flimsy desire for hope doesn't have many other places to latch onto. That is why local leagues may see owners a bit too optimistic about the prospects for Xander Bogaerts as he becomes the Red Sox' starting shortstop, and how that will give Will Middlebrooks a chance to solidify his hold on third base and prove that his .227 batting average last year was an injury-fueled aberration.

Bogaerts playing shortstop means he will come with some position versatility, which helps him stand out even further above the other youngsters eligible at third trying to find a starting spot with the White Sox (where Matt Davidson is trying to unseat incumbent Conor Gillaspie) and Phillies (a battle of youth between Cody Asche and Maikel Franco).

It is almost enough to make a guy who is really good look even better.